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Survey: 84 percent of parents suffer from ‘fever phobia'

Copyright 2018 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

By:
The NOW

Posted at 2:11 PM, Dec 17, 2018

and last updated2018-12-17 17:11:50-05

The flu is starting to spread more quickly. Activity has picked up significantly this month.

A fever is a common symptom of the flu, and a new survey by Braun thermometers found 84 percent of parents suffer from fever phobia.

Fever phobia is when someone gets a fever and worry about what comes next and how to respond.

Doctors say a fever is actually a positive sign that the body is fighting off an infection, and the temperature of a fever is 100.4. Infants up to 3 months old who have a fever over that should go to the hospital as soon as possible.

For children 3 months old to 3 years old, anything over 102 degrees is serious.

If a fever continues for more than three days, you probably want to see a doctor no matter how old, or if it goes over 103 degrees.

You likely don't need an antibiotic. Tylenol will help bring a fever down.

Additionally, a fever doesn't necessarily mean you're contagious, but it's better to act like you are by keeping those hands clean and trying to prevent any germ sharing.

Copyright 2018 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.